sistascompany

[sistascompany]

Someone should of told me this.

(I know I'm a little late but still enjoy) Congratulations to all Freshmen of 2015 on making it to college! Woo-hoo! Break out the champagne and hit the quan. You have hit the first step on a becoming a serious, independent adult. I know you're layin in bed right now thinking about all the amazing things that are going to happen when you get to campus. How serious you will become with your school work. Who will become your friends for life. Well, let me tell you, college life is nothing like high school. But I am here to give you few tips I've learned at school and tell you things that I wish someone told me. 1. The only thing that follows you from high school to college is your GPA. I wish I could tell you that all the things that you hold so near and dear will be just as close to you when you go to college. But that just isn't reality. Every friend won't keep in touch, you and bae may or may not make it (especially if you go to different colleges) and people could care less about your popularity cred. Some things change. The only thing that holds any water are your grades. They create the difference between free room and board and a "will work for free" sign. 2. Don't judge the people around you. At my freshman orientation, they were holding a talent show/Greek step show. Now near the end of the show they started playing some club music and asked for women to come down to the stage to dance. The only person that went down was this really tall girl. In my head I was thinking "Man, she pretty thick for a girl." Then she turned around. "OMG! She don't have no breasts!" I was floored. That was the first in my life I had seen a transgendered male. But everyone one else around me was cool. I later met this same guy (who was in my major) and he was a real cool person. Understand that you are in a ecosystem where all types of people will have different views and lifestyles than you. Stay true to what you believe but don't be rude if you disagree with someone else. 3. Be kind to your roommate. I know quite a few people who have had problems with roommates every semester. It seems like that person's sole job is to drive you insane. They bring in all their little habits and weird quirks to one small room. It's a recipe for aggravation. But remember that they are in a whole new place (most times) far from home, with no friends or family, just like you. So even when they get on your nerves be a friend to them: talk to them like your interested in their lives, watch a movie, or even share your snacks (you will be the best roommate if you do). Remember: Be kind and don't whine. 4. Accept the weird. Again, lots of different people will be plaguing your campus. Seeing something weird will become the norm. So if you see a grown man walking through the halls in a onesie, cheer him on because that guy is living life right LOL. Be open to it. (Go to your school's theater during rehearsals. I promise, you will not be disappointed.) 5. Think before you pledge. Now most people want to join a sorority or fraternity because of the respect, legacy and  networking that comes with it. Others just want the the fame of the name. If that's your reason then fine. But just know that an organization means way more than that. You are becoming unified with people who want to achieve greatness WITH their brothers/sisters, not through them. That means doing work in your community and helping with the expansion of the organization. If you're just in it for the letters then keep moving, honey. 6. Get your books as cheap as possible. All of us are not rich. Majority of those who attend college are paying out of pocket. So I know a deal or discount is greatly appreciated anywhere you can get it. I recommend using slugbooks.com if you want to save some bucks on books. Don't waste your time losing and arm and a leg st your school bookstore. Your welcome. Enjoy your year darlings. Be productive. Have fun (*mom look* but not too much fun) and show the world the greatness that is inside you. ~Natalie

[sistascompany]

We’re Moving

Hey guys,

Just wanted to let everyone know that we’re moving to a different site. There’s nothing wrong with Tumblr and we love it here, but we, Sistas Company, want to give you content that’s organized and enjoyable. Plus it just looks more professional even if we’re just a little blog (lol). We want to thank you guys for all the support that y’all have given us. Also we’re not going to delete this account only for the sake of keeping the posts/articles on here because we might not upload every single one on the new site. We hope that everyone’s enjoyed us so far, and we want to continue this beautiful journey with you. So we’re welcoming you to the new site:

www.sistascompany.weebly.com

We’d love it if you could join us.

Thank you

~Sistas Company

[sistascompany]

My Response to “Dear Fat People”

**Disclaimer: I hope that you get inspiration from this post and my story, I DO NOT condone fat shaming or bullying in any way possible, NOR will I do it to others. Not linking this video either because it has a negative effect on others**

Within the last 48-72 hours there has been a video going around from YouTube to Facebook and Twitter and other social media outlets called “Dear Fat People” made by a “comedienne” named Nicole Arbour. I’ve been sort of offline just trying to enjoy my Labor day weekend with Mimi and my boo Kendall, until I saw Amber Riley commented on her FB page about the video. I didn’t decided to watch it until later because I thought it was going to be so terrible that I thought I was going to have a breakdown (whether it would be angry or sad). When I got home yesterday, I watched the video on FB. I sat there in silence until the video was over. As a person who is plus-size, fat, overweight/obese, whatever you want to call it, the video didn’t affect me in any way. I simply chuckled in disgust because this video was not satirical or a joke or even comedy in general. If anyone has watched the video you can tell where she tried to make little jokes about her being blonde or that fat people get to eat “whatever we want” but it was just disrespectful. I went on YouTube later and even this morning to find some great responses from other YouTubers like Nabela Noor, Meghan Tonjes, Grace Helbig, Soundlyawake, Obesetobeast, and Kendall Rae just to name a few (there were a bunch of responses). These YouTubers discussed how detrimental Nicole Arbour’s video was and are trying to help slowly build young people’s self confidence again; because if someone who has suffered from low self esteem, depression, eat disorders, etc. and watched that video it could possibly send them down a spiral after they have tried so hard to fight their demons every day.

Nabela Noor

Meghan Tonjes

As a kid around the age of 6/7 years old I started to gain a lot of weight and my classmates would tease me all the time. It definitely got worse in middle school, where I would go home and would want to cry every day. I didn’t eat breakfast and I barely ate lunch at school. I didn’t eat anything until I got to my grandma’s house after school and made a sandwich or eat her snacks. My grandma would make a lot of comments about my weight, saying it was out of love because she was “heavy” when she was my age and that being teased and bullied is no fun. My dad would make nasty comments about my weight, even my great aunt that I hadn’t seen in years one time made a comment about my weight. Only my mom and aunt hardly said anything and if they did, it wasn’t in a nasty way that I would disregard it. So by the time I was going into high school, my self esteem was so low I couldn’t take a compliment. I didn’t care how I looked or how I dressed because I thought “what for? I’m fat anyway”. I thought I wasn’t going to make friends, I thought I wouldn’t fit in, I didn’t want to trust anyone because of what happened in middle school. In the end, I ended up making friends but as I was going to transfer to another school the one that really stuck around was Mimi. She was plus-size too and we were very similar in a lot of ways and we became best friends/sisters.

When I transferred in my Junior year of high school, those old fears kept creeping up, my self esteem was still low but I was working at it. But by the end of the school year, I stopped eating. I would snack on saltines and water while I was at school. My friends would give me some of their lunch but eventually I would stop asking/taking it. I hid it from my mom and when my aunt had said that we should go on a weight watchers diet, I used that as an excuse to continue my disorder. I started to have really bad headaches and stomach pains. I felt like my stomach was shrinking, eating itself from the inside. I tried not to complain too much so that no one would know anything was wrong. My grandma would tell me I should eat something but I would always tell her “I don’t have a taste for anything” and she would agree with me because she’s a diabetic and her medicine would take her appetite away (still does). But eventually my mom did noticed and was wondering why I was having so many headaches and I think I finally told her. At first, she didn’t understand but it made sense to her because she had done the same thing years ago. I had stopped eating for about 2 months but what happened after that was much worse. I had messed up my body so bad that if I did eat, I would feel nauseous and my stomach continued to hurt because it was “growing” again. This would happen for about a year until I would feel normal again. Still there are times that I still fall into the habit of not eating, or feeling sad about how I look or how much I weigh (lost/gained)...

The reason of why I’m telling my story is because being plus-size/fat/overweight or obese is not easy and it takes time to become healthier or to lose weight. Whether you have a health condition (mental and/or physical) or bad eating habits, losing weight and be healthier is your decision. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL and YOU ARE WORTH IT! Granted doctors and your family may make comments to persuade you into making the right choice, but at the end of the day you should only do it for you. If you have kids and you realize you want to see them grow up healthy and making better eating habits than you are right now, let that be your motivation. Or you want to fit in those old jeans from 10-15 years ago, or even lose those freshmen 15, do it! We all have things we need to work on but we shouldn’t allow other people to decide for us. We decide for ourselves, we just have to make sure what we’re doing has a positive effect on ourselves and the people around us.

So to respond to Nicole Arbour.... look you may have thought that your video would be a great idea, but it wasn’t. There’s no magic pill to lose weight or to be healthier. It’s sad that you disabled your likes and comments, because you don’t want people like me to tell you how wrong you are. You don’t like “fat” people? Oh well, majority of America weighs more than you. You want to start a discussion about obesity? There’s a better way to do it, like have an actually conversation with someone who maybe is “fat” or someone in the medical field, ya know create an alternative way to be open about this topic. You did this just to gain subscribers/followers? That’s pretty low dude. All I’m saying is that at the end of the day, you wouldn’t want people to comment on how you look or how much you weigh or even the way you talk, so why do it to others?

Anyway, that’s all for now. I hope that you were able to understand my message and you enjoyed the read. Until next time,

~Nicki

[sistascompany]

Transitioning from HS to College Pt. 3 | Relationships: The End?

**DISCLAIMER: this is just a background story of my relationship in HS/College, end to come later.**

Here it is guys, we’ve come to the end of my relationship story...sort of...

Yup I was single again. I really didn’t like this feeling. Being with someone for about a year and some months was familiar, and now that my baby wouldn’t be there anymore...it was..it just felt so foreign. I really thought I was in love, I knew I loved my boyfriend; but the way things ended, it seemed like he didn’t feel the same way. Now I didn’t cry when the split happened, I was just numb..We were still talking, because we were best friends but there was a void..I knew it, he knew it, we never talked about our issues as the months went by.

Months had past, I had eventually stopped talking to him..I had occupied my time with school and friends and just tried to have fun. In the beginning, whenever I came home, I was alone with my thoughts and I missed him. After a few weeks, you get used to the feeling and you learn to cope. The end of a relationship is like dealing with a death, in a way. You have grieving, denial and moving on periods; and I definitely went through all of that. One night, my “ex” (I can never really call him that) called me to tell me he got his license, and I guess by how I responded that he knew I didn’t want to really talk to him. He then offered to take me out for my birthday since it was in a few weeks and I reluctantly agreed. After we hung out for my birthday, we were talking to each other again, but by the time the Fall 2013 semester was starting, we weren’t talking..*sigh*

Well I didn’t even let it bother me, a new semester just meant I was closer to finishing my program and getting my degree. Then I met someone. He was nice and funny and cool..but it didn’t last long and we just remained friends. We flirted a lot and we just had a ball around each other. I was finally having fun again and just being happy. But then all of a sudden I get a text from my ex. Well ain’t this a b--...

Thanks for reading everyone! Can’t wait to write the next part for you guys. Check out pt. 4 of this post (coming soon) Relationships: The End?

Until next time,

~Nicki

To read the pt. 1 & 2 of this story, here’s the links:

pt. 1 - http://sistascompany.tumblr.com/post/125303286279/transitioning-from-hs-to-college-pt1

pt. 2 - http://sistascompany.tumblr.com/post/126135030809/transitioning-from-hs-to-college-pt-2

[sistascompany]

So Let Me Introduce Myself...

Hola amigos! My name is Natalie. I'm a new member to this prestigious crew. I'm a life-loving 21 year old who is down to earth and always willing to share a bit of love with those around me. ☺ I am in love with music. It's grabs my soul. I'm striving to be a professional singer and actress.      So my whole life I've been a big girl. My story is the same as others: I had virtually no confidence as I was bullied all through school. It sucked. I felt like everyone only saw me for my weight. Sometimes I still find myself ashamed as I think about the past. One day I was talking to my grandmother about everything and she said something that still helps me to this day, "God makes all different shapes, sizes and color. You are fearfully and wonderfully made." I gained abit of confidence from it. Enough to make me stand up for myself for the very first time. The older I grew, the more I understood. God made me unapologetically so why shouldn't I love myself in the same way?      Today I can say I'm happy with myself. It took a long time to get to this place though but I'm glad I got here. My weight does not stop me from being who I am or doing what I love. And it should not stop you either. I believe that all of us are beautiful and no one on this earth has the authority to make you see or feel different. So love you and be you.                               ~Natalie~

[sistascompany]

My Surprise Vacation

Hey everybody it’s Mimi here,

I know I said in my recent post that I will let you all know about the surprise vacation. I was excited and “patiently” waiting for weeks to find out where my family and I were going. Now I’m very excited to let you all know where we went. My family and I went to Orlando, Florida to go to Disney World. I have never been so I was really excited about the vacation. It was a weeklong vacation and there were activities every day. We didn’t go to one of the activities because we wanted to have a chill day. The activities were going to Universal Studios two different days, Busch Gardens, Downtown Disney, Magic Kingdom, and other fun things. There were two different parts at Universal Studios, so we had a two day passes to go to both. Now I’m not one to get on rollercoasters so my family and I found other rides to get on. One of my favorite rides at Universal Studios was the Transformers 3D ride. Although it was a long wait to get to the ride, it was definitely worth the wait. When we went to Busch Gardens I did get on one water ride. It wasn’t that bad because the drops were not that big. While walking around my family and I saw many animals like, cheetahs, tigers, orangutans, kangaroos, and many beautiful birds. I had the best time just having fun with my family. Although we didn’t get to get on everything we wanted to, we made the best of it. There is always next year, and I do plan on going again. Until next time guys…

~Mimi

[sistascompany]

Body Image.

Hey guys it’s Bri and I wanted to talk to you lovely people today about body image :3. From fashion, tattoos, piercings, your hair, body weight, height, or how you are proportioned can all contribute to how you think about your body. It can be negative or positive as you all may know. But how positive is your body image? Or how negative is it?

Since I was 5, I’ve always been heavy. Doctors have told me all my life that you need to lose weight, you’re gonna get diabetes, you’re gonna get this and that and this is gonna happen. Followed by being bullied all throughout my time in school mainly through elementary school, it got worse in middle school, then it started to die down in high school. I’ve always had a major problem of feeling beautiful. Accepting my body of how it is. At 22 years old, I still deal with negative body image. Most of the time I can’t really look myself in the mirror and when I do I have nothing positive to say about myself. I can try to tell myself how beautiful I am but I feel like I’m lying to myself. That I should just accept that I’m fat, ugly, etc. and that’s just how life is. Dealing with my weight, I’ve tried dieting and exercising, but most people have told me even if I lose weight I may still not be happy with the way I look. I shrug it off and tell them it’s my weight that’s keeping me from loving myself right now. And once I lose at least 100 pounds, we can work and see what else would be keeping me from loving myself.

I would love your feedback in how y'all deal with negative body imagine. Until next time.

God bless, peace and love.

BRI~

Bri’s last post:

http://sistascompany.tumblr.com/post/124486287569/dont-mean-to-be-a-debbie-downer

[sistascompany]

Transitioning from HS to College Pt. 2 | Relationships: The Middle

**DISCLAIMER: this is just a background story of my relationship in HS/College, end to come later.**

So here it is guys, the second part of my relationship story...

By the end of Junior year, my crush had asked me to be his girlfriend. Like I’ve said before I didn’t know how to feel. I told him to give me a week to think things over, he completely understood which was good. I saw him during the school week, and he was trying to pull out all the “stops.” He wouldn’t stop smiling when he saw me, hugged me all the time, even voted for my favorite couple on Dancing with the Stars (DWTS). When Friday had rolled around, I had agreed to be his girlfriend..but I didn’t tell him yet...I was going to wait till after school. The lunch bell rang and I headed to the cafeteria, but the table where my friends and I sat at wasn’t there. I was barely eating at the time (that’s a whole other story) so I headed out to the quad. It was bright as hell outside and I could barely see a thing, but as I looked over to my left, I saw someone coming my way and had waved. Of course, I waved back because I already knew who it was but I wasn’t too sure. It was my crush, he skipped his gym class just to come see me during my lunch period; which in my opinion was the sweetest thing...still is. We walked over to a bench in the shade and I told him yes to being his girlfriend.

After that, the rest was history. I was going through a bad phase in my life which made my summer a little sour; and it kind of but a strain on my new relationship. That all stopped when we went back to school for Senior year. He would walk to my house every day and we would catch the bus together and walk me home as well. Even when I had choir practice in the evening. There were times that having a boyfriend during Senior year was hard but it wasn’t too bad. I always did my work, and I would always give 100% to my relationship. But there were times he would act like a butt and that I wouldn’t want to deal with the drama. In the end, we stuck it out and graduated from high school. Time for the real world.

My boyfriend...I loved him so much..but by the end of my first semester of college, we broke up. Yeah, I was really hurt by it but for some reason I knew it was coming. We were having problems like with communication and we wouldn’t really see each other at all. I know we were busy going to different schools but we lived 5 minutes away from each other. *sigh* Single life here I come....

Thanks for reading everyone! Check out the pt. 3 of this post (coming very soon) called Relationships: The End?

Until time next time,

~Nicki

To read the pt. 1 of this story, here’s the link:

http://sistascompany.tumblr.com/post/125303286279/transitioning-from-hs-to-college-pt1

[sistascompany]

Transitioning from HS to College Pt.1 | Relationships: The Beginning

**DISCLAIMER: this is just a background story of my relationship in HS/College, more to come later.**

Hey guys, I wanted to start the “Back to School” segment with a topic we might all be familiar with, since we’re going to be starting school in less than a month or so. This post will be about relationships (if you couldn’t tell from the title above lol). I’ve been through a relationship during my Senior year of HS while it transitioned into my first semester of college. I’m going to give y’all a little background story. So in my Junior year of HS, I transferred from one small all-girl school to an outrageously bigger one. I had a major crush on this guy from the HS next door, and since my old school didn’t have much contact with other boys from other schools, I didn’t have any crushes since middle school (excluding from celebs). I don’t know what came over me but when I looked at him, I felt tingles. Weird feelings that I have never felt before in my life; and it scared the living crap out of me.

By the time I had realize I was falling for this handsome tall drink of mocha frappe, we were pretty good friends. I pretended like nothing was different everything was fine, until one day. I wanted to “profess” my love to him and that shit backfired. I had gotten so nervous, that I couldn’t say it to his face...I messaged him on Facebook. Lame I know but hey, I was 16 at the time, still an innocent young lady lol. My heart was beating so fast as I was typing that message, I swear I couldn’t breathe. A few days later, I asked him if he got the message, just wanting to hear his response...BIG MISTAKE, huge. He told me that “We should just remain friends..” and that was fine. I showed no emotion on my face but just a smile and walked into my school building..I wasn’t heart broken, at the time I didn’t even know what to expect. I just wanted an answer. Coming from a past where I got teased a lot about the way my mom would style my hair, to how I wore my uniform among other things..I just wanted to know,..that someone liked me too, ya know?

Anyway, fast forward and it’s almost the end of junior year and guess who asks me to be his girlfriend after so many months of drama and torture? My crush (old crush at the time), I had so many emotions I didn’t know what to think, do or say to him.. In my head I was wondering why it took him so damn long to sweep my gorgeous ass of my feet, but hey it was cool...

Thanks for reading everyone! Check out the pt. 2 of this post called Relationships: The Middle

Until time next time,

~Nicki

[sistascompany]

Don't Mean To Be A Debbie Downer~

Hey guys its Bri here. I wanna talk to y’all a little about something going around. Have you guys seen the vine where it saying “What are thooossee?” and you’re making fun of someone’s shoes or clothing of some kind? When did this start and why did it start? Making fun of someones shoes or clothes because they are less fortunate than you? Because they like a certain brand of clothing or they can’t afford brand name clothes? What is wrong with you people? It’s not fucking funny. And it’s just another excuse to bully people.

All through out elementary school, middle school, a little in high school if I wasn’t getting bullied about my weight, or being a nerd, or for my glasses, or hair, I was getting bullied about my shoes and clothes. My parents did the best for me, I had clothes on my back and that’s all I needed. But you get made fun of for not having a certain pair of Jordans, or jeans, or if your shoes are from Walmart? What is wrong with people?

You all will reap what you sow. Going around making fun of people who can’t afford the things you have? It’s bullying. I don’t care how you wanna explain it. There’s NEVEERRRR an excuse for bullying.

Take it from me, don’t get wrapped up in this bullshit, especially if you’ve been bullied yourself in the past. You have a chance of being bullied in the future as well. Trust me, it does not feel good.

I hope this post made you think a little for whomever sees it.

Thank you and stay blessed. Bri~

Bri’s last post: http://sistascompany.tumblr.com/post/124198095009/bad-luck

[sistascompany]

My Summer So Far

Hey everybody it’s Mimi here,

Today I’m just going be talking about how my summer is going so far. I’ve been very busy with my summer classes and work study. I’m taking two online classes, English and Sociology. They aren’t that bad, they’re pretty easy at times. I’ve been doing work study since this past spring semester at CCBC. I really like it because I get to work in the science labs at the school. As my summer classes are close to being over I will be going on a vacation. Where I am going is to be announced (post coming soonJ) because it is a surprise for me and my brother. I’m really excited because I need to relax after going through some rough times these past few months. I have dealt with three loses, my uncle in February, my great grandma in April, and my grandma in May. All of this occurred while in spring semester taking Anatomy and Physiology II, one of the hardest classes I’ve taken so far. I still managed to stay focused and ended up with a B in that class which helped me make the Dean’s List. Also having family and great friends like Nicki and Bri helped me get through these difficult times.

           What I plan on doing this summer is hanging out as much as I can before school starts again, which I’m not ready for. Until next time guys…

~Mimi

Mimi’s last post: http://sistascompany.tumblr.com/post/123126375604/my-results-from-taking-biotin-pills

[sistascompany]

Bad luck.

Hey guys, its Bri and I’m not coming to you today on this post with anything positive.

I’ll tell you a little something about myself. I really hate men, except for the couple that are good friends and in my family. I hate relationships, I hate dating, I hate love songs, I hate anything that has to do with relationships and the list goes on, I think you get the point. But I have my reasons behind all of this hate. I shouldn’t say hate its more of just a burden and its annoying.

I have had multiple, horrible relationships in my life and I am only 22. I have never pushed a nice guy away. I try to give guys a chance if I am comfortable. Guess what, every single guy I’ve communicated with in that way or have dating, been with, had sex with is an asshole, a fuck boy, a piece of SHIT. (excuse my language, but that is the only only way I could put it.)

When I am in a relationship I end up wasting my time, getting hurt and verbally abused. Some guys are assholes in the beginning so I avoid that. Others put on a mask and after a while they are fucking snakes in the grass.

My method is just being single. I was single for about a year, sometimes it got a little lonely but I was strong. I finally decided to date again, I met a “nice guy” but he was again a piece of shit. He was such a nice guy in the beginning. So I regret my decision. And now I have to start over.

Relationships for me, are nothing but drama, sadness, misery, heartbreak, crying, anger, depression, stress. I don’t want it. I don’t ever wanna find out what its like to be in love. I don’t want to date. I don’t ever want to be in a relationship. I don’t want kids. I don’t wanna get married. I don’t want anything that has to do with relationships, love, sex, etc. blah blah. At all. Never again. Never fucking again.

To me, men are SHIT.

ALL I need to focus on in my life is my education, family, losing weight, my career, finding a job, my friends, and music. I need nothing else……and food. I love food.

That’s it for today. I will try to post more.

All of you stay blessed. Love, Bri

[sistascompany]

My Interview with ORNGCHNL Photography | Brandon Price

Hey guys,

So recently, I sent my friend, Brandon Price, a photographer a few questions about his life and profession. He’s a really talented photographer with a great eye/perspective on what he shoots. This was only a little part and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to conduct a face-to-face interview later on this summer, but here’s the piece below...

Nicki: “So I just wanna get some basic info from you, like age, where were you born & raised, and what is your occupation as of now?”

BP: “I'm Brandon, a 23 year old photographer from Baltimore, MD born in Edmondson Village and raised in Baltimore County. As of right now photography is my day-to-day occupation whther its for the sake of art or photographing professionally.”

Nicki: “Where did you attend high school/college (if you went to another college besides ccbc or planning to)?”

BP: “I went to Western High School for Technology and Environmental Science and my field of study was Automotive Repair and Technology. During my Senior year, I began taking college courses at the Community College of Baltimore County as a Parallel Enrollment Student. After graduating high school in 2010, I immediately changed my focus to being a Music major to receive a degree in Music Production and Audio Engineering in 2013.”

Nicki: “What are your hobbies?”

BP: “My hobbies are pretty basic lol I love to go for walks in nice weather like when theres a small breeze and a few clouds, go to barnes & noble and read up on my favorite magazines, and produce music and of course try different photo ideas I dream about.”

Nicki: “What made you become a photographer?”

BP: “I was inspired by America's Next Top Model to get into photography because I always thought the shoots that they did were amazing and super artistic in the later cycles. While doing music, I think it was during cycle 20 or 21, it was when they introduced the girls vs guys and the model Chantel she captivated me and her photos were the best over all the others I've seen from the show and it was after seeing her photos that I was set on shooting photos as beautiful and more beautiful as hers. Now Im just surrounded by photographers and videographers so staying within an artistic community also plays a huge role as to why I took up photography.”

Nicki: “Do you remember what's the first photo you ever”

BP: “The first photo I ever took…it was a photo of my friend Big Mike (@mikejon_) and we were in his room trying to figure out the settings and everything and it was of him and his lamp.”

Nicki: “How would you describe your photography's aesthetic/style?”

BP: “I'd say its very minimal. I don't like capturing too much noise in an image because I don't want the beauty of the subject being ignored at all. It is however very versitle and changes a lot. My style has levels and after looking at my work, you could definitely see what I mean.”

Nicki: “Last question(s): If you weren't doing photography what else would you be doing? Hobby wise? Career wise?”

BP: “If I wasn't doing photography I would be doing Music, but to be honest, I couldn't see myself doing anything other than photography for the rest of my life now.”

So there you have it guys, I’m putting his links down below so y’all can check him out. Please please please, look at his photography because it’s definitely unique (plus he did a series inspired by Andy Warhol I believe).

Until next time,

~Nicki

Brandon’s Website links:

www.orngchnl.com

twitter - @orngchnl

Instagram - @orngchnlphotography

Facebook - @orngchnlphotography

Tumblr - @orngchnlphotography

[sistascompany]

My Results From Taking Biotin Pills

Hey everybody it’s Mimi here,

I know I haven’t made a post in a while. I have been going through a lot in my life, but I’m in a good space right now.

Today I wanted discuss a product called Biotin. For those of you who do not know what it is, it is a supplement that is taken daily which is supposed to help with hair, skin and nails. It is supposed to help your hair grow longer, thicker, and healthier. It helps your nails grow longer and healthier and it helps for better skin. I started taking the 2,500 microgram pills in April. Before I took the pill I did my research and looked for side effects that may happen when taking Biotin pills. I did see that it could cause skin to break out only if you don’t drink a lot of water. I drink enough water anyway so I wasn’t worried about that. Along with taking the pills, I started using the biotin and collagen shampoo and conditioner.

In a week or two it will make it three months since I have been taking Biotin pills. I have notice that my hair is a lot thicker and longer. My nails are also stronger, healthier, and longer as well. I haven’t noticed any breakouts on my skin either. The last three weeks I started taking two pills, so that would be 5,000 micrograms or 5 grams. Although I’m not finished the first bottle yet I do plan to get to the 10,000 micrograms. I just started with the 2,500 microgram to see how I would react to the pills. Since I am seeing really good results I will continue to take the pills. As far as using the biotin and collagen shampoo and conditioner, my hair feels completely different. When I use different shampoos it feels like it dries out my hair. The biotin and collagen shampoo makes my hair feel a lot cleaner and smoother. I’m going to continue to use this shampoo and conditioner as well. I will give another update on Biotin pills after a few more months of taking them.

~Mimi

[sistascompany]

Sense8 Review (A Netflix Original)

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own the rights to this picture, just my opinion.**

Hey guys,

So I wanted to write another review, this time a TV show on Netflix called Sense8. When I was looking at the trailer for this, I automatically said “I need to see this!” because of how interesting and diverse it looked. So as soon as it was ready to stream on Netflix, I jumped at the chance. As I started the show, within the first 5-10 minutes, I was so confused. It was so fast-paced that my brain couldn’t wrap around the concept, which wasn’t actually a bad thing.

I don’t want to give away too much because I feel like everyone needs to experience this show from their own perspective and not through me (that’ll just ruin it). So the concept of the show is that there are 8 people in 8 different cities that are all interconnected, and I don’t mean by a 6th degree of separation. What I mean by “interconnected” is that their brains and possibly their souls are connected to one another. The people all come from different backgrounds and cities, from being a cop in Chicago and a LGBT hacker in San Francisco to a VP of their parent’s company in Seoul and a DJ in London/Iceland (I’m not exactly sure of the city). These 8 people have all different strengths that can help each other where one or more might lack, and I find that very beautiful. They can share their experience either through their eyes/perspective with one another, call for help, or just “share” it; kinda like sharing on social media but with a humane 4D twist/experience. I describe this show as a cross between “Heroes,” “The Matrix,” (more or less) and “Jumper.”  And of course when something is different or out of place in the human species, someone wants to either study it and use the information to benefit themselves or the world or destroy what they might consider to be an “abomination” (come on, there’s gotta one or more bad guys in a show nowadays).

I’m giving you a fair warning that you will be in your feelings when you watch this 1st season, and I don’t mean crying, I mean yelling and screaming at your TV whether you want the people to kick the bad guys’ butts or for them to run away from danger. I can tell you that I fairly enjoyed this show, I binged watched the first 7 episodes and then waited a week or so to finish it because I didn’t want it to end. Plus I found out my grandma was watching it, so I watched a few episodes again with her and she loved it. She’s such a serious critic on shows, she knows what’s good and what’s not (you can definitely trust her judgment if not mine). And I’m also getting my boyfriend to watch it because I know he’s gonna love it.

I give this a rating of....(drum roll please)....

Rating: 5/5 stars

The trailer gives you a small/basic synopsis about the show. So here’s the link to the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9c_KSZ6zMk

I hope you will be able to enjoy this show as much as I did. Experience their lives in one sitting for one season. And until next time,

~Nicki

[sistascompany]

Notice a difference.

Hey guys, its Bri. I wanted to talk to you guys about a couple things. It will be a quick read. 😉

So anyways, a few weeks ago I watched a video by Buzzfeed about the different pricings between men and women’s products. Like shirts, deodorant, soap, jeans, etc. What i noticed is that theres a huge difference in pricing. Why are men’s products two or more dollars cheaper than women? Anybody got an answer? I sure don’t. Its just another obvious fact that women and men are not equal. For example, I use degree deodorant. I shop at Walmart and I pay $3.88 plus tax for my deodorant. Same brand, same amount of protection, men’s price is $2.47 per stick. Tell me why is that? Shoot, I’d love to save a few bucks and still smell nice. A thought has run through my mind lately like “what if i switch to some men products.?” Specifically razors which seems to work better than the brands women get. But going back to deodorant, I’m afraid if i switch to men deodorant (to save a few bucks) I’m afraid that my body will react negatively to it. And nobody needs that! Lol. Anyways, I hope one day in the future that men and women can be treated equally to the T. Even with little things like products such as deodorant. Well, i told you this post will be short and i hope to get some feed back from you guys.

Peace, love, and blessings. -Bri

[sistascompany]

Pitch Perfect 2 Review

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own the rights to this picture, just my opinion.**

Hi everyone, here’s the review you’ve all been waiting for!!!! (insert cheers here)

Before we start, if you haven’t watched the first Pitch Perfect you DEFINITELY should, enough said. So stop what you’re doing, watch the movie..either buy it on amazon or try and find it on OnDemand, then come back and read this post.

And if you haven’t watched the second one, don’t worry I’ll try not to talk spoilers..I’ll be mostly using the concept from the trailers but if you haven’t seen the trailers either...SORRY IN ADVANCE (please forgive me).

So it’s been 2-3 years since we’ve seen the Barden Bellas (the all female acapella group at Barden University) become the champions of the national acapella competition. This time the girls come back bigger than ever, starting off with a performance at the White House in front of the President and First Lady for his birthday. The girls are doing a great job singing and even added some props to go along with their performance. Everything goes great until Fat Amy (played by Rebel Wilson) does some kind of silk rope acrobatic routine and gets tangled and rips her pants while hanging upside down, flashing her lady parts in front of everyone. Skipping ahead, the Barden Bellas have to discuss the future of the acapella group to the officiators/announcers of the acapella association, due to the incident at the White House; which to their dismay the girls find out they’re getting suspending (like indefinitely). Beca (played by Anna Kendrick) then comes up with an idea to perform at Worlds (or whatever it’s called), the international acapella competition and win, that way they could be reinstated. Even though everyone thinks her idea is crazy except for the Bellas, they go for it anyway and have a lot of tough competition ahead, including the Germans, who are international winners for like the last 3 or so years...

The movie is definitely good, especially to watch with your girls (and guys) and sing along and have fun. At times, I did find that the jokes were a little too dark for me (on the same radar as Seth MacFarlene), I mean I chuckled and laughed but I did find them to be a little offensive (that’s just me though...). And with some of the jokes, I felt like they were trying too hard...to make it funny like the first one. Other than that, this movie exerts GIRL POWER, and it shows that even though college is a temporary thing, it doesn’t mean that you can’t still have the same friends that you have now later on as you go forward into the adult world. I think Elizabeth Banks did a great job directing, I thought that the shots and angles were really cool. The arrangements of songs were freaking aca-amazing, the singers were fantastic and Pentatonix was mother-f***ing aca-awwsome. Also let me just mention that the Green Bay Packers are in it too, and they’re not bad at singing either. :)

So I rate this movie a 3.8/3.9 out of 5. If you enjoyed the first Pitch Perfect, then you’ll love the second one. I might even go back and see it a second time myself.

Until next time,

Nicki <3